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Rocketboost launches PC and iOS Control App for its wireless devices
Rocketboost, that "breakthrough wireless audio technology" from Best Buy, just got a feature boost in the form of a new Control App. Owners of the company's Rocketfish and Insignia speakers and soundbars should be jumping for joy -- assuming they still have energy after completing all the steps necessary to start beaming wireless tunes. First up on the shopping list is the "Rocketboost Wireless Receiver / Transmitter," which you can pick up from your neighborhood Best Buy for a measly 65 bucks. Once you've got your hands on that hideous black box, you'll have to plug it in via USB to your Windows machine (yup, no Macs) and install another Rocketboost must-have, dubbed "Control Computer Software." Finally, one of the last steps towards your Airplay-like quest is to hit up the iOS App Store (no Android for now) and snatch the Control App, which should be running in sync with the one on your PC. Still here? You can catch the app in action after the break, and check out the source link for the play-by-play to get started.
Switched On: Multi-room music's rocket ride
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Multi-room music has a long history as the province of the wealthy, the corporate, and those with the forethought to build or buy new construction with the structured wiring to support it. But over the past few years a number of companies have tried various wireless technologies to bring multi-room music closer to the masses. Some companies have used proprietary wireless systems while others have used WiFi, and yet others have tried both approaches in different products at different times. Those approaches, though, now face competition from a new ingredient brand called Rocketboost. While it may sound like a powdered nutritional supplement that Jamba Juice adds to smoothies, Rocketboost uses the second generation of a wireless audio technology dubbed AudioMagic 2G, which developer Avnera claims is the first multipoint to multipoint HD wireless audio platform. Indeed, AudioMagic 2G can support up to five sources and nine receivers -- significantly shy of Sonos's 32 zones, but enough to cover many homes. Each Rocketboost receiver has, at minimum, a button to cycle through active sources, and the standard also supports displays that would enable more flexibility in source selection, particularly AudioMagic 2G has a data channel for sending information about a source and the content it is playing.
Rocketfish wireless whole home audio system cuts the cord on all your speakers
Anyone stumbling into a Best Buy looking for some sort of wireless speaker solution has probably been ushered over to the Rocketfish section, but up until now, only a few devices have been available. Now, the Best Buy staple is introducing an all-encompassing system that aims to cut the (speaker) cable to all of your speakers. The wireless whole home audio system, which is obviously only available at the yellow-tagged retailer, is comprised of a Wireless Amplified Audio Receiver, a Wireless Sender / Receiver, a Wireless Outdoor Speaker and a Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit, which includes both a sender and receiver. The whole rig is designed to work with standard connections for speaker line and line level inputs, so most any speaker assortment should play nice. All told, the devices combined can send up to five sources to nine receivers throughout the home, but not surprisingly, there's no mention made of the presumably lofty price tag.
